Zaha Hadid, the famed female architect known around the world for her works with sweeping curves and who drew occasional controversy when projects hit huge cost overruns, died on Thursday at the age of 65, her company said.

The award-winning Iraqi-British architect was best known in China for designing the Guangzhou Opera House, the Wangjing SOHO building in Beijing and the capital's Galaxy SOHO development. She also created the unusual aquatics center used for the 2012 London Olympics.

Hadid faced criticism last year after her futuristic $2 billion design for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium was scrapped amid spiraling costs and complaints about the design.